Do you use 9s or 10s on your electric?

[pieterh]

I generally use .010s on all my electrics, I like the tone and find them easy enough to bend - though 3-step bends à la Gilmour can be a challenge! On my son's Strat Mini we use .011s to compensate for the short scale.

The only exception on my guitars is my Ibanez RG350: when I got the guitar it was in need of some tlc - the bridge was missing a string block, the whammy bar was wrong (a screw in model instead of the push in) and was missing the height adjustment screw.

I sorted all this out and bought new strings, .010s. Not a good choice as I then had to go and buy an extra spring for the tremolo! Next string change I went back to factory spec .009s, removed the fourth spring and after adjustments (which aren't quick on a double locking system) the guitar is beautifully setup and plays like a dream.


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[whiteshadow]

I use 8's.

Finger tapping sounds great and they're really expressive.

[paulp1960]

I think most acoustic guitars new are sold with 12 gauge strings. I think most electric guitars are sold with 9s new. I would suggest that these are the most common string gauges on these guitars.

I know Steve likes his jazz guitar with thick strings but I think most players in AGF are a long way from jazz.

[Neonzapper]

No more 8 or 9 for me... Only 10 now, and loving it!

With 8 or 9, it's too easy to bend to the right note, but with 10 you move around on the frets more. It makes me better.

[SteveWV]

I've used 9's on all my electrics for decades. I have never felt the need to change..

[FrankHudson]

Varies.

On traditional Fender scale, it's 9s. I used to use the original Fender 150 set, which was .010 high E, but .038 low E, so I'm sort of going up tension-wise on the low strings and down on the high strings from that now discontinued set. I used to keep one Tele with 11s for down-tuning, slide, harder pick attack stuff. I now have that one with 10s.

On Gibson scale, mostly 9s.

On my Jaguar, 10s. Tried 11s and might try them again someday. But I have the neck angle dialed in and there's no issue with the 10s slipping out of the grooves on the bridge.

On true hollowbody archtops: 10s on my non-adjustable old Chicago made thin hollowbody. 12s on others. I now have a new Gretsch Electromatic hollowbody and I don't know what I'll use there.

I'm actually playing more in the Gibson scale these days due to old fingers (and that Jaguar with its even shorter scale). 8s still seem too flimsy for my Fenders, and so that's how I get relief. I've actually started to get a liking for Bigsby-equipped Teles as they seem a little looser under the fingertips.

Someone might say: but these are electric guitars, you play acoustic (and bass too), and since you play 11s, 12s and 13s on acoustic, so you ought to be able to stand at least 10s on electric--but it's the total exposure that does it (causes my joints to say "too much"). If I played 11s on electric or even 10s more, I'd probably have to cut back on the acoustic playing. And I don't bend strings much on acoustic anymore.

[louparte]

.10's on my big archtop and .11's on my Guild Starfire III. I might move up to .12's on it.

[1neeto]

It depends on the guitar. All my electrics are 25.5 scale, so 9's is perfect. Rule of thumb is the shorter the scale, the heavier gauge you can go. SRV used to play with like 12's on his strat, but he was SRV. To me, anything higher than 10's on a strat scale guitar is almost unplayable.

[3waytie4last]

12 gauge Thomastik Infeld Swing Series.

SRV actually used 13s, but he also tuned down 1/2 step.

I use 11's on Teles and Strats, but sometimes think they are too light.

[Scotso]

Depends on fret height. On low frets I can go to 9. But on higher frets I like 10s or 11s. On the higher fret sizes I find that fretting too hard can bend a note slightly out of tune. It drives me nut. The heavier strings keep that from happening.

[mr. beaumont]

.012's, I replace the high E with a .013 on 24.75" instruments.

I can still bend, but it's not something I do much of.

[jdmulli]

9's or 10's, I think the most important thing is to pick something and stick with it. The same goes for picks. Consistency breeds familiarity which leads to better playing (in most instances).

Sometimes, I think we guitarist are always ready to move on to the next, better thing. I think an argument could be made that your overall sound will improve more from learning to use what you have as opposed to buying new things. Of course, there are exceptions (an obvious upgrade, for example).

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by paulp1960

I think most acoustic guitars new are sold with 12 gauge strings. I think most electric guitars are sold with 9s new. I would suggest that these are the most common string gauges on these guitars.

I know Steve likes his jazz guitar with thick strings but I think most players in AGF are a long way from jazz.

What a great name for a band

[jim777]

I use 9's on my guitars with locking trems, and 10's on pretty much everything else. So, semis, Teles, and 6 screw Strats get 10's. The only elelctrics I have that use 11's are the full hollow jazz boxes (box now, down to one )

I am not the kind of player that will leave the strings on the instrument that sound the best, if that sound comes at the cost of making the instrument more difficult to play. I cannot play my best if I am thinking about playing the guitar - I need the guitar and all its parts to get out of my way so I can make the music. So light strings, low action, no sticky finishes on the necks, these are where my priorities lie on electric.